Rules for the road
by kristy1013
Summary: Sam learns of Jack O'Neill's new hobby.


**TITLE**: Rules for the road  
**AUTHOR**: Kristy1013  
**PAIRING**: Sam/Jack  
**SPOILERS**: None  
**SEASON / SEQUEL**: 8  
**EPISODE RELATED**: None  
**RATING**: G  
**CONTENT WARNINGS**: None  
**STATUS**: Complete  
**SUMMARY**: Sam learns of Jack O'Neill's new hobby.

**DISCLAIMER**: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story was written and intended for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, plots and events created are the property of their respective author(s).

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**: Much thanks to my beta reader Jenn for helping me to polish up the story. Please read and review, feedback is always welcome, thanks!

* * *

It was an unseasonably warm day in Colorado Springs, and like several of the other diligent workers at the SGC, Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter had left the mountain early to enjoy the rest of the day and the beautiful weather. It was an unusual occurrence for her, especially when it seemed there was always something that needed to be done, but for some reason, she had felt this impulse to leave early and go for a drive.

SG-1 had nothing except an early morning briefing scheduled for the day; all other SG teams arrived back home on schedule with no problems, no unexpected emergencies had popped up, and in fact, she recalled the only thing General O'Neill had complained about all day was dealing with a potato salad shortage in the commissary at lunch. Pretty much a boring day for the SGC actually, not that it wasn't welcomed every now and then, especially when the weather was being so accommodating.

Sam had been driving around for nearly half an hour when she soon found herself nearing General O'Neill's house. She slowed the car down impulsively as she drove past his driveway wondering if he too had left the mountain early. Suddenly she heard the very distinctive sound of a motorcycle starting up and she thought it was coming from the general direction of his house. She slowed to a mere crawl listening out the window as the motorcycle choked and died then started back up again. She was now sure the sounds were coming from the General's house. Curiosity got the better of her, and she whipped around in the road and pulled into the driveway.

She parked behind O'Neill's truck and spotted him a few feet away bent over what looked suspiciously like a classic Benelli motorbike. Intrigued, she never knew the General owned a motorcycle and was certain he had never mentioned it before. As she exited the car, O'Neill looked up, a bit surprised to see her.

"Hi, Sir," she called.

"Hey Carter, what's up?" he answered before looking down at the bike as if he had just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. She was definitely curious now to see what he was up to since he was usually always up to something.

"Oh nothing really, I was just driving by in my car." She pointed over at her parked vehicle. "And I couldn't help but hear the telltale sounds of a motorcycle in distress," she finished with a slight grin on her face.

She knew that he knew about her secret hobby. Siler had told her that he let it slip once while they had been talking, though O'Neill had never brought it up with her.

"Sir, I had no idea you had a motorcycle," she said before he could say anything else.

"Oh yeah." He waved his hand at the bike nonchalantly. "I like to take the 'ole hog out every once in awhile." He started screwing various caps back into place near the engine.

Sam raised her eyebrows in a near perfect impression of Teal'c. "Really," Sam said incredulously as she leaned over and pointed at one of the caps he had just put back into place. Reaching over, she unscrewed one of the caps and placed it on a different valve and screwed it back into place. "You know --"

"I knew it was in the wrong place," O'Neill interrupted. "I just put it there for the time being so I didn't…um… lose it or anything."

"Oh, of course." Sam shook her head. She was having way too much fun with this to stop now. "So Sir, how long have you had it?" she asked.

"What?" O'Neill looked up at her as if she had just asked him what the decay rate of Naquadah was.

"The bike, how long have you had it?" she asked again, a small smile on her lips.

"Oh. Uh, well…" He paused a moment. "Actually not that long, a few months at most. A new little hobby I picked up in my spare time, when I have spare time that is." There was a moment of silence before he asked, "So wanna take it out for a spin with me?"

Sam thought for a second considering her answer. It wasn't as if she didn't want to go, she really did. The thought of soaring through the Colorado countryside with Jack O'Neill, the wind whipping at their faces as the sunlight dimmed over head was so very tempting. She could feel his eyes boring into the side of her head as he waited patiently for her answer. She spared another glance at him and then again at the bike.

"Oh what the hell, it's not like there's anything wrong going for a little motorcycle ride," Sam mumbled to herself.

"What?" O'Neill asked.

"Hmm? Oh nothing, just going to say I'm up for a ride," she replied quickly.

"Great! I'll be right back," he said and sprinted off towards the house. Sam swore thought she saw a little hop in his step then laughed to herself as she tried to imagine a seasoned Air Force General like O'Neill "hopping".

Sam looked over at the motorcycle and took a second to admire it. It really was a fine bike, probably an 80's model and appeared to have been repainted sometime recently. Though she preferred her own classic Indian, this one wasn't without its appeal. She ran her hand over the smooth leather of the seat and up the gleaming chrome wondering where O'Neill had gotten it from. She was more curious, though, why he had really gotten it instead of finding another hobby to play around with.

Sam was pondering over this thought when O'Neill reemerged from the house wearing a clean t-shirt and a shiny black leather jacket. Her eyebrows raised unconsciously in another perfect imitation of Teal'c at the General clad in a leather jacket. "Leather, Sir?" she asked cautiously.

"Too much?" he asked, pulling the jacket around him tighter and looking it over.

"No, not at all," she answered a bit too quickly. "It's fine…looks good."

They stood in silence a few moments before O'Neill nudged her with a bright yellow helmet that matched one he held for himself in his other hand. She hadn't even noticed he had been carrying them.

"Ready?" he asked. Sam nodded her reply and secured the helmet to her head. She joined him on the bike and waited patiently while he fiddled with a couple of the dials up front.

"Ok, Carter," O'Neill's voice rang out in front of her. "Before we go, there are a few rules for the road we must cover first."

"Really?" she asked dubiously.

"Yep. First, helmet."

"Helmet, check," Sam said tapping on the side of her secured helmet.

"Second, I get to pick the radio station."

"What radio, Sir?" Sam asked.

"Exactly!" O'Neill exclaimed matter-of-factly, causing Sam to grin behind him.

"Third, no giggling. It can be distracting," he teased. Sam automatically laughed causing him to turn slightly, giving her that patented O'Neill look.

"Sorry, Sir," she said, clearing her throat.

"And last but not least, seatbelt."

"Seatbelt?" she asked curiously.

O'Neill wiggled a little indicating that she should hold on tight.

"Right," she said. She closed her arms around his waist, pushing thoughts of how much she was enjoying this out of her mind as he started up the engine.

The motorcycle roared to life, and soon they were off soaring into the wind. Sam thought how nice this bike took to the road and how smooth the ride was.

Sam leaned up against him and shouted to his ear, "This is great, Sir!"

"What?" he shouted back over the noisy engine.

Sam shook her head and let the ride take her away with her own thoughts. Normally she would be the one driving alone on her Indian, doing much the same as she was now, relaxing into the moment. This was a bit different, though, as she didn't exactly have to pay attention to her driving, where she was going, and other roadway nuisances. It was quite soothing; she felt totally at ease with the General and was truly enjoying being here with him right now. She sighed at the thought of all the other times that they missed out on because of rules and regulations but willed those thoughts away for the time being. She just wanted to simply enjoy the moment for what it was right now. Sam thought that she might even offer to return the favor and invite the General to come along on one of her excursions on the Indian.

Sam wasn't sure how long they had been riding, but their trip was halted when the bike started to splutter and slow down considerably. O'Neill maneuvered the bike to the side of the road and frowned down at the gages in front of him. They both got off the bike, and Sam looked around her, noting that they were on a small deserted road with nothing but trees all around them.

"So…" Sam trailed off.

"Outta gas."

"You're kidding right?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" he countered, throwing an annoyed look at the bike. She leaned around him to see him tapping on the gauge in the center that currently had its needle on a big red "E".

They stood in silence a few moments before they both burst out laughing at the situation. It occurred to Sam just how many times they had been life threatening situations all over the galaxy, and here they were frustrated over running out of gas in Colorado Springs. It really was quite amusing, and they both got a good laugh out of it.

"No need to worry. There's a little gas station about a half mile from here," O'Neill said as if on cue.

They started pushing the bike down the road and laughed at other times when they had found themselves in similar situations. O'Neill reminded Sam of the time Teal'c had gone fishing with him and he had attempted to show the Jaffa how to navigate the lake in a boat. Teal'c thought it unwise to go out on the small boat and was proven right when the boat tipped over, dumping them both into the chilly water. Once back on the dock the wet Jaffa told him that he would never venture into a boat with him again.

By the time they reached the small gas station, it was already getting dark. They filled up quickly and soon were on the way back to O'Neill's house. Night had completely fallen by the time they got back to the house, and the stars were shining brightly in the sky while the full moon shone down on them like a spotlight. Sam returned the helmet and helped O'Neill store the bike safely in the garage.

"That was really nice ride. You know, you're not so bad behind the wheel… err… handlebars," she said.

"Yeah, it's a natural talent I have," he replied with a shrug. Sam rolled her eyes in amusement.

"Well, I guess I should probably go. Dr. Lee wants me to help him and Daniel early in the morning with that piece of technology SG-3 brought back from P6C-318. It has some kind of obscure writing on it that has Daniel all kinds of excited," Sam said.

"Oh I bet Danny boy can't wait to get his hands on it. He probably won't even sleep tonight because he's staying up reading about some boring people who died way too long ago just so he can include all the stuff that I don't want to read into the mission report," he said dryly.

Sam chuckled and grinned, thinking that there was certainly some truth about Daniel and his mission reports.

"Guess I'll see ya in the morning then, Carter," O'Neill said.

"Goodnight, Sir," she said. She turned to head to her car but suddenly stopped as a thought struck. "Maybe someday I can return the favor and you can come with me for a ride on Lola."

"Lola?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's the name of my motorcycle. Surely you've given yours a name," she said hesitantly.

O'Neill shook his head, causing Sam to redden just a bit. "Right, well the offer still stands just as long as you don't make fun of the name," she offered.

"Sure." O'Neill chuckled. "And I'll take you up on that offer sometime, too."

"Good," Sam said. She gave him a small wave and headed down the driveway to her car. She really hoped he would say that, since she would love to spend another night like this one with him. As Sam drove off into the chilly night, she smiled and decided she should leave work early more often.

-fin-


End file.
